Flexible floor covering and process of making the same



Patented Nov. 9, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDW'IN M. LINES, OF DEDHAM, AND JAMES F. MAGUIRE, OF NORWOOD, MASSACHU- SETTS, ASSIGNORS TO BIRD & SON, INC., OF EAST .WALPOLE, MASSACHUSETTS, A

CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

FLEXIBLE FLOOR COVERING AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME.

No Drawing.

This invention relates to a flexible floor covering of the felt base type and the process of making the same. It principally concerns a floor covering having a felt base saturated l with a suitable hydrocarbon or semi-solid bituminous material and having an ornamental Wearing surface.

According to present commercial practice, felt base floor coveringis manufactured from felt saturated with an asphalt which binds the fibers together, giving the felt base strength and adapting it to resist moisture. The next operation, following a suitable interval for the cooling of the felt, is the application of an undercoat over the saturated base. A necessary function of an undercoat is to form a suitable barrier between the saturated base and the surface coat of the floor covering, the. surface coat being applied to the undercoat to make up the wearing surface and design of the floor covering. It is necessary that an undercoat have a smooth, non-porous,flexible surface, and be substantially free from discoloration. The material commonly used, at present, for an undercoat consists of an ordinary oil paint including pigments, drying oils as a binder, and a thinner which is usually volatile petroleum distillate, or other inflammable medium. There are many disadvantages in the use of an undercoat having such a thinner, among which are, the softening action of the thinner upon the saturant of the felt base; the slow evaporation of the heavier fractions of the thinner; the cost of such thinners; and the risk of fire and explosion in their application, or inthe drying ovens due to their volatile and inflammable char acteristics. In the effort to provide asphaltic surfaces with a lighter colored film or layer by applying an ordinary oil paint tothe same, the softening action of the thinner above referred to on the asphaltic surface has resulted in a discoloration of the layer of oil paint, and has also rendered the latter permeable so that the second or surface coat (if one is applied) has also been stained.

This invention contemplates, inthe manufacture of felt base floor coverings, the employment of a coating or undercoat made up of the usual pigments to give the desired color, abinder consisting of pitch, drymg oils or combinations of pitch, waxes, resin and/or drying oils, and emulsifying or Application filed April 21, 1926. Serial No. 108,636.

blending the same in an aqueous thinner, as hereinafter more fully described. The advantagesin the manufacture of floor coverings in accordance with this invention are: the coating shows very slight penetration into the saturated base and does not soften the same; an effective barrier or shut-off layer able to resist the base saturant is formed between the saturated felt base and the surface-coat so that the saturant of the base is thereby isolated and unable to readily penetrate this barrier layer or appreciably stain it or the surface coat; the undercoat forms a smooth, nonporous, flexible surface, or foundation coat of uniform color upon which (if desired) a surface layer may be readily placed; in the manufacture of this floor covering the coating may be applied to the sheet of felt immediately after it comes from the saturating vat in a heated condition without danger as the coating is non-inflammable and non-explosive; a reduction in cost of floor covering because a cheaper base-saturant may be used and because of the elimination of dangerous, volatile thinning mediums. The floor covering may be provided with a backing coating of similar character which provides a hard, smooth, water-resistant surface that is able to resist the base saturant, and effectively seal the same in the felt.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood, one set of ingredients in proportions with which excellent results have been obtained, will be given, but it is, of course,

understood that it is not desired to limit the.

invention to the particular ingredients and proportions recited except as required by the claims. We preferably effect a blending of the oil in the water constituent ofthe coating by the use of an emulsifying or blending medium, such, for example, as

for introducingfree resinthough it may be introduced in other ways, for example, by means of the blending agent. The alkaline resinate itself, when used, also operates as I or any apparatus capable of 10- ture of 150 F. ,This tem erature should not be materially exceede as to do so,

"causes excessive foaming later in the proc- .ess. We then add to the water, gum arabic sodium oleate, or any material capable of acting as a blending or emulsifying agent for the fatty body so that 'it becomes dlspersed in the water, the aqueous dispers ng medium, as distinguished from emulsifying the water in the fatty body. We next add a resin, (free. or combined) preferably, an

alkaline resinate and water containing aconsiderable percentage of free resin. We next slowly add a suitable pitchy, or fatty body, for example, stearin, or a heavy bodied dr ing oil such as linseed 011, Chinawood 011, fi h oil, or the like, or a combination of these, and allow this to become thoroughly agitated within the water in the mixer, We then add and mix a pigment or combination of pigments, e. g., ochre, oxlde of iron, hmestone, etc., and the coating composltion is ready for application. A' table of proportions of the above preferred ingredients 1s as follows:

Per cent. Limestone 39.5 Ochre 22.6 Oil 11.3 Sodium-resinate 6.8 Sodium oleate 0.2

Water 19.6

Following the saturation of the base and the removal of the excess of saturant 1n the manner well known in the art, the saturated web is led over rollers to the device for applying the undercoat and backing.

The application may be readily accomplished by means of passing the felt base through rollers, either or both of which are partially immersed in a trough containing a mixture substantially as above set forth. This method of application is so well understood in the art that we do. not deem it necessary to describe it in further detail. One strikin vdifference, however, be-

tween the application of the above described composition and the undercoat materials in current usetoday lies in the fact that the coating herein described Ina be applied to the saturated felt base while the base is still hot. The residual heat serves to drive ermits the material to set w able Way. If desired an additional trans- 1 parent coatin of any suitable character may be added such as'varnish or pyroxylin lac- .quer.

The foregoing specification discloses pitches, oils or waxes either alone or in combination and the expression fatty body as used herein and in the appended claims is used generically to cover all three since they all contain fatty acids or combinations 'of fatty acids, or both. The specific example above given, of how the invention may be practiced is regarded, of course, as the preferred form. The oils referred to include combinations of fatty acids and therefore are properly within the term fatty body as used.

For the purpose'of simplifying the disclosure of the invention, we have arbitrarily spoken of this coating as an emulsion, and, for practical reasons, disregard in this description or specification, and claims the degree or degrees of dispersion, and whether the constituents, or any of them, are strictly and chemically speaking in molecular solution, colloidal solution, or in suspension; or strictly and chemically speaking. soluble.

We claim 1. A flexible floor covering comprising a base saturated with bituminous material, and an imperforate coating applied to one surface of said base consisting of a major portion of pigment, and including a resin, a fatty body, and an a water-soluble emulsifying agent, said imperforate coating being adhesive to said base and resistant to the bituminous material of the same.

2. A flexible floor covering comprising a base saturated with bituminous material, an imperforate coating applied to one surface of said base consisting of a major portion of pigment, and including a resin, a fatty body,

and a water-soluble emulsifying agent, and an additional coating of paint applied to said im erforate coating, said imperforate coating eing adhesive to said base and to said additional coatin and being adapted to form an impermeab e flexible barrier between the same.

3. A flexible floor covering comprising a base saturated with bituminous material, and an imperforate coating applied to one surface of said base consisting of a major portion of pigment, and including an alkaline resinate,-a fatty body, and a water-soluble emulsifying agent, said imperforate coating being adhesive to said base and resistant to the bituminous material of the same.

4. A flexible floor covering comprising a base saturated with bituminous material, an

imperforate coating applied to one surface of said base consisting of a major portion of pigment, and including an alkaline rcsin'ate,

afatty body, and a water-soluble emulsifying agent, and an additional coating'of paint applied to said imperforate coating, said imperforate coating being adhesive to said base and to said additional coating, and be ing adapted to-form an impermeable flexible barrier between the same.

A flexible floor covering comprising a base saturated-with bituminous material, an imperforate coating applied to one surface of said base consisting ofa major portion of pigments, and including a resin, a fatty ing the felt forming the 'base of the floor covering with a semi-solid bituminous material, applying to one surface of said base a non-inflammable non-viscous aqueous emulsified mixture including a .resin, pigment, a fatty body, and a water-soluble emulsifying agent, and drying the same.

7. The process of making a flexible 'felt base floor covering which consists in saturating the felt forming the base of the floor covering with a semi-solid bituminous ma terial, applying to one surface of said base a non-inflammable non-viscous aqueous emulsified mixture including a resin, pigment, a fatty body, and a water-soluble. emulsifying agent, and drying the same, and then applymg to the dried surface thus formed an additional coating of paint.

8. The process of making a flexible felt base floor covering which consists in saturating the felt forming the base of the floor covering with a heated semi-solid bituminous material, applying. to one surface of said base while hot a non-inflammable'nonviscous aqueous emulsifiedm-ixture including a resln, pigment, a fatty body, and a water-soluble emulsifying agent, and drying the same.

'9. The process of making a flexible felt base floor covering which consists in saturating the felt forming the base of the terial, applying to one surface of said base an emulsified non-inflammable non-viscous aqueous mixture including a resin, pigment, a fatty body, drying the same whereby an imperforate coating adhesive to said base is formed, and then applying to said coating an additional coating of paint.

11. The process of making a flexible felt base floor covering which consists in saturating the felt forming the base of the floor covering with a semi-solid bituminous material, applying to one surface of said base an emulsified non-inflammable non-viscous aqueous mixture, including a resin, pigment 50 to 85%, a dispersed fatty body 5 to 35%, and Water to and then drying the same whereby an imperforate coating adhesive to said base is formed.

12. The process of making a flexible felt base floor covering which consists in saturating the felt forming the base of the floor covering with a semi-solid bituminous material, applying to one surface of said base an emulsified non-inflammable non-viscous aqueous mixture, including pigment to 85%, a dispersed fatty body 5 to 35%, and water 10 to 30%, and then drying the same whereby an imperforate coating adhesive to said base is formed.

EDWIN M. LINES. JAMES F. MAGUIRE. 

